Focusing has been tough this week. I can honestly say I haven’t done a good job. I’m still angry at Congress over passing the health care bill. And still don’t understand why people are so lazy and won’t even vote when it is their Constitutional right. Just boggles my mind. (Read last week’s column.)
But anyway, as I sipped my Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha and reflected upon where America has been and what might the future hold…I wanted, no needed, a laugh, to bring me out of this funk I’m finding myself in. To be sure somewhere out there I would find something or someone that would make me smile…
And I did ….KAYNE…he does it all the time…
Hmmm, what a wonderful day it has been. We took our precious little grandson to The Museum of Life and Science in Durham for the afternoon. You should have seen the wonder and amazement in his eyes as he played with rocks, touched dinosaurs, dug for fossils, petted a donkey, etc. I never knew the place was that big and enchanting. And getting to see it through Kayne’s eyes is all that matters. He makes life fun. He makes life worth living.
Along with chocolate, coffee, cheesecake, … and Jelly Belly jelly beans.
Yep, I love jelly beans. And this brand, Jelly Belly, just happens to have every flavor under the sun … lemon, orange, tangerine, chocolate pudding, tutti-fruitti, green apple, watermelon, cotton candy and lots more. My favorite are orange, lemon, and tangerine. Don’t know why. I just love the flavor combo and sugar rush I get.
You can bet the house I’ll turn my grandson into a Jelly Belly loving kid!
And of course, wouldn’t you know I would find them at one of my favorite coffee hangouts - Southern Season in Chapel Hill.
When I find Krispy Kreme there as well, I will think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
So what’s up with Jelly Belly, Sheila?
Jelly Belly became a household name after a certain President use to keep a jar of them on his desk in the Oval Office. He often joked about jelly beans, saying once,
“You can tell alot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans."
That President would be Ronald Wilson Reagan. Also known as the "Great Communicator".
Ronald Reagan was the best President since George Washington, in my opinion. He is often referred to when Conservatism is brought up in a conversation or an article. No one has been able to imitate President Reagan. No one has been able to stand with such confidence, stature, and mystique like Ronald Reagan. And in June, 2004, the United States lost its greatest advocate. President Reagan often talked about his love for America. And how much he believed too much government was a disaster waiting to happen.
And here are few more of his quotes.
May they bring as many smiles to you as they did to me.
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. "
Ronald Reagan
"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin. "
Ronald Reagan
"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life. "
Ronald Reagan
It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first. "
Ronald Reagan
"Man is not free unless government is limited."
Ronald Reagan
"Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall! "
Ronald Reagan
"No matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."
Ronald Reagan
"One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it. "
Ronald Reagan
"Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing."
Ronald Reagan
"Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. "
Ronald Reagan
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe
every day is April 15."
Ronald Reagan
"Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."
Ronald Reagan
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help. "
Ronald Reagan
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much. "
Ronald Reagan
"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away."
Ronald Reagan
"The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
Ronald Reagan
"Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying."
Ronald Reagan
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than
the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is
accountable for his actions. "
Ronald Reagan
"We should declare war on North Vietnam. We could pave the whole country and put parking strips on it, and still be home by Christmas. "
Ronald Reagan
"Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong."
Ronald Reagan
From his farewell address, 1989….
In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. -- Ronald Reagan
(It will probably snow in that place below before we ever hear Obama say that!)
President Reagan - May you rest in peace.
Need only just ask….
When I first heard commissioner Linda Shook say "We are prepared to accept the outcome of the tax referendum", I did not know what it meant or who the "we" represented. I did not expect her to to actually vote for the tax. She is a signer of the no tax pledge, but signed it as a highly unsuccessful candidate for the state house. It is not clear if "deal" involved the rest of her commissioner's term or political career. 
Thanksgiving 2009
It is too early to draw conclusions about Jamie Kelly's political future based on events of two years ago, but he helped that future by making two, almost impulsive-looking motions, that will ever be key to the restoration of Lee County High School. In the end Kelly's bold move, flying in the face of convention wisdom, was supported 2-1 by the voters.
Focusing has been tough this week. I can honestly say I haven’t done a good job. I’m still angry at Congress over passing the health care bill. And still don’t understand why people are so lazy and won’t even vote when it is their Constitutional right. Just boggles my mind. (Read last week’s column.)
